Did you know that text messaging is one of the most popular forms of communication? In fact, the latest estimates from Statista put the number of active SMS users around the world at more than 7.5 billion in 2026.
That's a lot of people! And because text messaging is so popular, it makes sense for businesses to use it as a marketing tool. However, companies need to overcome some challenges to make SMS marketing successful.
One of the challenges is finding the right SMS marketing provider. It's important to find a platform that understands the technical challenges of SMS marketing and can help businesses overcome them.
Another challenge is staying compliant with legal and carrier requirements. Whichever provider a business chooses should be able to help them with this.
Choosing the Right Phone Number Type
Getting a phone number is an important first step. Businesses can use a few different types of phone numbers for SMS marketing, and choosing the right one can make a big difference.
Short codes are five- or six-digit numbers that are used to send SMS messages. They're often used for marketing purposes, and they're a great way to reach a large audience.
Long codes of 10-digit numbers can also be used for SMS marketing, but they're not as widely known or used as short codes. In the US, a relatively new number type, 10-digit long codes (10DLC), has replaced unregistered long codes for application-to-person (A2P) messaging.
Finally, toll-free numbers, such as those that start with 800, are typically used for customer service purposes, but they can also be used for SMS marketing.
How should businesses choose which type of phone number is right for a given marketing campaign? Cloud communications provider Plivo recommends that businesses start by considering how many messages they need to send in a given period of time — a measurement called throughput. If you’re running a lot of campaigns with a high number of recipients, a number type that offers high throughput should be the priority. Short codes offer the highest available throughput, with 10DLC numbers not far behind. offer the highest available throughput, with 10DLC numbers not far behind.
